soup in Coronado

While Sheila and I are living it up here in Coronado, this healthy and hearty soup is served as our lunch one day and dinner the next. You do need to remember to soak the beans the night before, otherwise, it is pretty straightforward. Unlike yesterday, this time the photos nearly match how I describe to do it, nearly. I just had to use two baking dishes for the roasting of the vegetables, if you have a dish that is large enough, just use one.

If you have leftovers when reheating be certain to add a bit more water to thin out the soup. It thickens considerably as it cools.

Tuscan Bean and Vegetable Soup

2 cups dried Great Northern white beans, soaked overnight
2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped, divided
1 celery rib, roughly chopped, divided
1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped, divided
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
4 garlic cloves
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 large sprigs fresh rosemary
2 cups stemmed and roughly chopped kale leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Accompaniment
12 thick slices country-style bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and cut in half
Additional small rosemary sprigs for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Drain beans, rinse, and transfer to a large pot.  Add half of the carrots, celery, and onions to the beans.

Add 6 cups of cold water to the pot, along with the thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, until the beans are tender, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Set aside 1 cup of the beans then transfer the remaining beans and their cooking liquid to a blender and purée. Set aside the puréed beans.

In the meantime, place the remaining carrot, celery, onion, squash, potato, and rosemary in a baking dish and toss with 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the rosemary sprigs and season with salt and pepper.  Place in preheated oven and roast the vegetables for about 30 to 35 minutes, tossing a couple of times. Remove from oven, pull out the rosemary sprigs, and set aside both the vegetables and the rosemary.

Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in the same pot over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté until just fragrant.

Add the roasted vegetables and season with salt and pepper.

Stir in the bean purée and 1 1/2 cups of water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.

Stir in the chopped kale and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir in the reserved whole beans.

Meanwhile, place the bread slices on a baking sheet and use the rosemary sprigs as brushes and brush the bread with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place the rosemary on top of the bread slices and place in the 400-degree oven and toast slightly.

Remove from oven and rub with the cut sides of the garlic clove.

If needed, stir in more water to thin the soup to your desired consistency. Then simmer until heated through.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls, garnish each with a small sprig of rosemary and serve with the 2 slices of bread on the side for each serving.

Serves 6